FSU RB Dalvin Cook showing poise beyond that of a typical freshman

TALLAHASSEE — Former Miami Central High coach Telly Lockette knew he had his heir apparent to Devonta Freeman, who was just about to begin a successful three-year career at Florida State.

Joseph Yearby, now enrolled at Miami, figured to be the next big-time back out of the powerhouse program located in northern Miami.

But Lockette never thought he had two star running backs on hand.

Dalvin Cook, to that point, was enigmatic. Lockett had Cook in his P.E. class when he was a 160-pound freshman and saw speed on display in youth football leagues. It wasn't until Cook's sophomore year, when Lockette decided to design a bubble screen in practice for Cook that he realized he had a special back to pair with Yearby.

"We throw him that bubble, he made a couple of moves and it was like 'damn,'" said Lockette, who is now USF's running backs coach. "You can't know right then, but it's like 'whoa, this kid can be good.' We had some guys, defensively, that could move. This kid just did some things, some natural things that you can't teach.

"He has intangibles you can't coach."

Cook, one of the prized gems in FSU's 2014 recruiting class, has flashed potential during the preseason. The No. 1 Seminoles open the season 8 p.m. Saturday against Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas, and Cook could see early playing time as part of FSU's running back trio.

Cook (6-0, 200) came to FSU as the state's consensus top-ranked recruit and enrolled at the school in January. Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher raved about his physical maturity, but a freak shoulder injury in the weight room limited him for all of spring practice.

Wearing a non-contact jersey for most of fall camp, Fisher finally opted to let Cook go full speed in FSU's final scrimmage of the preseason. Cook did not disappoint.

"He made a lot of good plays," Fisher said. "Very disciplined in his running, made his cuts, understood the blocking scheme, where he wanted to be, how he wanted to get there and took care of the football."

Physically, Cook has the skills to make an immediate impact. He already proved he's faster than starting running back Karlos Williams, who was sixth nationally with an 8.02 yard per carry average in 2013, by edging out the senior during a race caught on video this offseason.

"He has that step that not too many kids have," Lockett said. "Just give him a crease."

But what makes Cook a factor to see the field immediately as a true freshman is his mature running style. Fisher said it took Freeman a couple years to become a patient runner and consistently set up his blocks, and he finally broke through last year to become FSU's first 1,000-yard rusher since 1996. Cook has yet to be tested in a game, but he's showing strong instincts in practice.

Fisher has also praised Cook for his polish as a pass protector. Typically, young running backs struggle to adapt to pass protection at the college level because of the complexity of blitz schemes. Cook, however, is displaying maturity early on which helps his cause to contribute on Saturday.

"Dalvin is special," FSU offensive lineman Cam Erving said. "And he's tough on himself, that's what's going to make him really good. Everybody knows he's fast, but the thing people don't really understand at this point in his career, he's very shifty. He makes cuts and makes holes out of nothing. He's special."